Watch the debates

Wednesday evening, two men vying for the opportunity to spend the next four years as the leader of the free world, stood on a stage in Denver and debated.

There's a reason the presidential debates have become such an integral part of the electoral process. For every voter, form the hyper-partisan supporters of both candidates to the undecided voter who's too busy to tune in to politics until the minute they step into a voting booth, the debates provide an up-close and personal view of both candidates, side by side.

For the hyper-partisan and even just for those who've already chosen a candidate, the debates are an opportunity to watch your choice in action. To see how he does, to root him on, cheer his success and bemoan his failures.

And while much of the media has proclaimed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the winner of Wednesday's debate, for the most conservative among us, there is perhaps cause to worry about where the candidate stands after his performance.

Romney took a turn toward the center during the debate. He did his level best to turn away from the more conservative things he stood for during the primaries, some of his own tax policies and reducing regulation on Wall Street.

Should those conservatives who were reluctant to elect the former governor of one of the most liberal states in the country, begin to worry that they backed the wrong horse? Is Romney really a Massachusetts moderate and not the staunch conservative he now portrays himself as like some of his primary challengers claimed? Or is it just that Gov. Romney says what it takes to get elected? Which Romney will show up for work on day one in the Oval Office if we elect him?

The view of the debate from the opposite end of the political spectrum is just as bleak, if not more so. President Obama seemed unable to articulate a clear defense of his policies and provide a stark contrast between his vision for the future and that of his opponent. On several occasions such as Romney's claims that he'll be better for the middle class, he let Romney get around him on the left, an almost inconceivable notion.

He took jab after jab from Gov. Romney and failed to call him on the carpet for his dramatic departures from his previous positions.

Should his supporters be concerned as well? Will we get four more years of not-quite-there-yet excuses or will Obama find his backbone and make things happen in his second term?

While much of Wednesday's debate quickly devolved into wonky policy talk, numbers and statistics that probably put most undecided voters into a coma, like a high school kid in the back of algebra class with his head down and drool on the desk. If you can muddle through, there may be a nugget or two in there for those few voters who have yet to make up their minds in this election.

The debates are just about the quickest and easiest way to get up to speed on what's going on in these two campaigns if you haven't been paying particularly close attention.

Both men, on stage, side by side; it makes the choice we face in this election year as clear as it'll get.

No matter your political persuasion or level of interest in politics, it's important that we, as citizens, make an informed decision and get involved in the electoral process.

In order for democracy to work, we all need to participate.

So tune in to one or two of the final three presidential and vice-presidential debates, even if it's just for a few minutes, take a look at the choices we face, side by side, and make an informed decision.

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Watch the debates

Wednesday evening, two men vying for the opportunity to spend the next four years as the leader of the free world, stood on a stage in Denver and debated.